Sakari Oramo Chief Conductor

Sakari Oramo is chief conductor and artistic advisor of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. He took over the position in 2008 and since his first three-year period with the orchestra, he has signed contracts three times for additional terms, currently until 2021. He is one of the founders and chief conductor of the Karleby Opera, as well as chief conductor of the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, having succeeded Juha Kangas in 2013.

After Sakari Oramo concluded his period as chief conductor of the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, he was appointed chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, with which he has participated in several Proms concerts since 2013, including Last Night of the Proms 2014 and 2016. In 2014 he made his Proms debut as a violinist as well – as part of the Chamber Music series, performing Prokofiev's Sonata for Two Violins with Janine Jansen.

His musical curiosity has continuously manifested in sterling work with new music. Sakari Oramo is also an excellent violinist, and was previously concertmaster of the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. He reveals this side of his musical expertise every season at Konserthuset, partly through chamber music concerts, though he has also been a soloist with the orchestra.

While he was concertmaster of the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, he began studying conducting with Jorma Panula at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. In 2004, Oramo was appointed Honorary Doctor at the University of Central England in Birmingham, in recognition of his “outstanding contribution to the musical life of the city”, for the years he spent as chief conductor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. He was also appointed an Honorary Officer of the British Empire (OBE) by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in recognition of his contributions to British music life. In 2008, Oramo was awarded the Elgar Medal in recognition of his dedication to Edward Elgar’s music and as a reflection of his enormous interest in British music in general.

Oramo has conducted orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic, the San Francisco Symphony, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Staatskapelle Dresden, the Oslo Philharmonic, the New York Philharmonic, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and more. He has also conducted opera, including the Finnish National Opera.

Sakari Oramo is represented on many records, primarily as the conductor, but also as a violinist and chamber musician (including on Warner Classics, Ondine, Philips and Hyperion). Oramo and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra’s recordings of, among other things, all six of Carl Nielsen’s symphonies on three albums (BIS) have been critically acclaimed globally, and the album with Symphonies No. 1 and 3 received the BBC Music Magazine Award for best orchestral recording in 2016.

Other recordings with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra from recent years include two albums with music by Anders Hillborg (BIS) – which both won Grammis Awards in the best classical album category. Also worth mentioning are the recordings of all of Schumann’s symphonies by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra (Sony Classical), which were received with high praise by the international press. And the latest record, Distant Lights, with Renée Fleming as soloist with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and Sakari Oramo, has received glowing reviews all over the world.

In 2012, Sakari Oramo was elected as a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. In 2016, Sakari Oramo was named Conductor of the Year by the historic Royal Philharmonic Society in London.

Busoni's grandiose piano Concerto

Thursday 5 April 2018 18.00

Price:

200-415 SEK

50% discount for those 26 and under. 10% discount for students, pensioners and the unemployed. 15% discount for subscribers.

The Main Hall currently has capacity for 1,770 people, spread across the stalls, first and second balconies and choir balcony. Each floor can be accessed by lift or the stairs. Due to the location of pillars, a number of seats have a fully or partially restricted view. These are indicated in the booking system. The hall has six wheelchair places.

A short introduction to the forthcoming performance. The introduction takes place on the staircase towards the left hand stalls. The introduction is held in Swedish and is included in the ticket price.

Ferruccio Busoni’s Piano Concerto in C Major from 1904 is a truly majestic piece of music – simultaneously a demanding solo concerto and a symphony. The men’s chorus (!) featured in the final movement also makes the piece incredibly unusual, both for the repertoire and in its construction. It is a unique piece that one may only ever get one chance to hear performed live.

The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and Sakari Oramo will be accompanied on stage by American pianist Garrick Ohlsson for the piece’s five movements. In his repertoire of over 80 concertos, Ohlsson has explored a wide range of piano literature, from Mozart to newly composed pieces.

With Symphony No. 38 in D Major, Mozart gazed into the future and challenged orchestral musicians with more technically demanding sections than in earlier symphonies. In the introductory movement, one can sense the musical fragments familiar from Don Giovanni, the opera that Mozart would soon compose.

Thursday 5 April 2018 18.00

Price:

200-415 SEK

50% discount for those 26 and under. 10% discount for students, pensioners and the unemployed. 15% discount for subscribers.

The Main Hall currently has capacity for 1,770 people, spread across the stalls, first and second balconies and choir balcony. Each floor can be accessed by lift or the stairs. Due to the location of pillars, a number of seats have a fully or partially restricted view. These are indicated in the booking system. The hall has six wheelchair places.

A short introduction to the forthcoming performance. The introduction takes place on the staircase towards the left hand stalls. The introduction is held in Swedish and is included in the ticket price.

Other occasions

Price:

200-415 SEK

50% discount for those 26 and under. 10% discount for students, pensioners and the unemployed. 15% discount for subscribers.

The Main Hall currently has capacity for 1,770 people, spread across the stalls, first and second balconies and choir balcony. Each floor can be accessed by lift or the stairs. Due to the location of pillars, a number of seats have a fully or partially restricted view. These are indicated in the booking system. The hall has six wheelchair places.

A short introduction to the forthcoming performance. The introduction takes place on the staircase towards the left hand stalls. The introduction is held in Swedish and is included in the ticket price.

Busoni's grandiose piano Concerto

Saturday 7 April 2018 15.00

Price:

200-415 SEK

50% discount for those 26 and under. 10% discount for students, pensioners and the unemployed. 15% discount for subscribers.

The Main Hall currently has capacity for 1,770 people, spread across the stalls, first and second balconies and choir balcony. Each floor can be accessed by lift or the stairs. Due to the location of pillars, a number of seats have a fully or partially restricted view. These are indicated in the booking system. The hall has six wheelchair places.

A short introduction to the forthcoming performance. The introduction takes place on the staircase towards the left hand stalls. The introduction is held in Swedish and is included in the ticket price.

Ferruccio Busoni’s Piano Concerto in C Major from 1904 is a truly majestic piece of music – simultaneously a demanding solo concerto and a symphony. The men’s chorus (!) featured in the final movement also makes the piece incredibly unusual, both for the repertoire and in its construction. It is a unique piece that one may only ever get one chance to hear performed live.

The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and Sakari Oramo will be accompanied on stage by American pianist Garrick Ohlsson for the piece’s five movements. In his repertoire of over 80 concertos, Ohlsson has explored a wide range of piano literature, from Mozart to newly composed pieces.

With Symphony No. 38 in D Major, Mozart gazed into the future and challenged orchestral musicians with more technically demanding sections than in earlier symphonies. In the introductory movement, one can sense the musical fragments familiar from Don Giovanni, the opera that Mozart would soon compose.

Saturday 7 April 2018 15.00

Price:

200-415 SEK

50% discount for those 26 and under. 10% discount for students, pensioners and the unemployed. 15% discount for subscribers.

The Main Hall currently has capacity for 1,770 people, spread across the stalls, first and second balconies and choir balcony. Each floor can be accessed by lift or the stairs. Due to the location of pillars, a number of seats have a fully or partially restricted view. These are indicated in the booking system. The hall has six wheelchair places.

A short introduction to the forthcoming performance. The introduction takes place on the staircase towards the left hand stalls. The introduction is held in Swedish and is included in the ticket price.

Other occasions

Price:

200-415 SEK

50% discount for those 26 and under. 10% discount for students, pensioners and the unemployed. 15% discount for subscribers.

The Main Hall currently has capacity for 1,770 people, spread across the stalls, first and second balconies and choir balcony. Each floor can be accessed by lift or the stairs. Due to the location of pillars, a number of seats have a fully or partially restricted view. These are indicated in the booking system. The hall has six wheelchair places.

A short introduction to the forthcoming performance. The introduction takes place on the staircase towards the left hand stalls. The introduction is held in Swedish and is included in the ticket price.

Vilde Frang plays Bartók

Thursday 26 April 2018 19.00

Price:

125-415 SEK

50% discount for those 26 and under. 10% discount for students, pensioners and the unemployed. 15% discount for subscribers.

The Main Hall currently has capacity for 1,770 people, spread across the stalls, first and second balconies and choir balcony. Each floor can be accessed by lift or the stairs. Due to the location of pillars, a number of seats have a fully or partially restricted view. These are indicated in the booking system. The hall has six wheelchair places.

A short introduction to the forthcoming performance. The introduction takes place on the staircase towards the left hand stalls. The introduction is held in Swedish and is included in the ticket price.

If my life were to flow on as peacefully as a meadow brook, I don’t think I would ever again be able to compose anything, Gustav Mahler once said. This was not the case – his life was filled with drama, of which the first two symphonies are also musical examples. Many life experiences are contained herein, and the music was challenging for audiences of the time, with its emotional volatility and daring dissonance.

It took Mahler 15 years to go from idea to completed work, and a journey from young and promising to master before his first symphony premiered in Budapest in 1889. His songs play a huge role in the symphonic style, and here, Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen are heard in the first and third movements.

The programme also offers Bartók’s Violin Concerto No. 1, which was composed for – and as a portrait of – the young violinist Stefi Geyer. Stefi Geyer played a double role for Bartók, who was in love with her: confidante – they wrote letters – and muse. Her recurrent theme, the notes D–F sharp–A–C sharp, begin the entire concerto and permeate much of the music.

Here, we will hear Norwegian soloist Vilde Frang, whose unique interpretations and virtuosity make her one of the most coveted violinists today. This season, she debuted with the Munich Philharmonic and Valery Gergiev, and returned to the Orchestre de Paris and the festival in Lucerne with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and Herbert Blomstedt. She debuted with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra in February 2009 and last guest-performed in November 2016 (in Britten’s Violin Concerto).

To begin, we will hear music by Benjamin Staern (b. 1978), one of the greatest Swedish compositional talents of our time.

Participants

Thursday 26 April 2018 19.00

Price:

125-415 SEK

50% discount for those 26 and under. 10% discount for students, pensioners and the unemployed. 15% discount for subscribers.

The Main Hall currently has capacity for 1,770 people, spread across the stalls, first and second balconies and choir balcony. Each floor can be accessed by lift or the stairs. Due to the location of pillars, a number of seats have a fully or partially restricted view. These are indicated in the booking system. The hall has six wheelchair places.

A short introduction to the forthcoming performance. The introduction takes place on the staircase towards the left hand stalls. The introduction is held in Swedish and is included in the ticket price.

Other occasions

Price:

125-415 SEK

50% discount for those 26 and under. 10% discount for students, pensioners and the unemployed. 15% discount for subscribers.

The Main Hall currently has capacity for 1,770 people, spread across the stalls, first and second balconies and choir balcony. Each floor can be accessed by lift or the stairs. Due to the location of pillars, a number of seats have a fully or partially restricted view. These are indicated in the booking system. The hall has six wheelchair places.

A short introduction to the forthcoming performance. The introduction takes place on the staircase towards the left hand stalls. The introduction is held in Swedish and is included in the ticket price.

Vilde Frang plays Bartók

Saturday 28 April 2018 15.00

Price:

125-415 SEK

50% discount for those 26 and under. 10% discount for students, pensioners and the unemployed. 15% discount for subscribers.

The Main Hall currently has capacity for 1,770 people, spread across the stalls, first and second balconies and choir balcony. Each floor can be accessed by lift or the stairs. Due to the location of pillars, a number of seats have a fully or partially restricted view. These are indicated in the booking system. The hall has six wheelchair places.

A short introduction to the forthcoming performance. The introduction takes place on the staircase towards the left hand stalls. The introduction is held in Swedish and is included in the ticket price.

If my life were to flow on as peacefully as a meadow brook, I don’t think I would ever again be able to compose anything, Gustav Mahler once said. This was not the case – his life was filled with drama, of which the first two symphonies are also musical examples. Many life experiences are contained herein, and the music was challenging for audiences of the time, with its emotional volatility and daring dissonance.

It took Mahler 15 years to go from idea to completed work, and a journey from young and promising to master before his first symphony premiered in Budapest in 1889. His songs play a huge role in the symphonic style, and here, Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen are heard in the first and third movements.

The programme also offers Bartók’s Violin Concerto No. 1, which was composed for – and as a portrait of – the young violinist Stefi Geyer. Stefi Geyer played a double role for Bartók, who was in love with her: confidante – they wrote letters – and muse. Her recurrent theme, the notes D–F sharp–A–C sharp, begin the entire concerto and permeate much of the music.

Here, we will hear Norwegian soloist Vilde Frang, whose unique interpretations and virtuosity make her one of the most coveted violinists today. This season, she debuted with the Munich Philharmonic and Valery Gergiev, and returned to the Orchestre de Paris and the festival in Lucerne with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and Herbert Blomstedt. She debuted with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra in February 2009 and last guest-performed in November 2016 (in Britten’s Violin Concerto).

To begin, we will hear music by Benjamin Staern (b. 1978), one of the greatest Swedish compositional talents of our time.

Participants

Saturday 28 April 2018 15.00

Price:

125-415 SEK

50% discount for those 26 and under. 10% discount for students, pensioners and the unemployed. 15% discount for subscribers.

The Main Hall currently has capacity for 1,770 people, spread across the stalls, first and second balconies and choir balcony. Each floor can be accessed by lift or the stairs. Due to the location of pillars, a number of seats have a fully or partially restricted view. These are indicated in the booking system. The hall has six wheelchair places.

A short introduction to the forthcoming performance. The introduction takes place on the staircase towards the left hand stalls. The introduction is held in Swedish and is included in the ticket price.

Other occasions

Price:

125-415 SEK

50% discount for those 26 and under. 10% discount for students, pensioners and the unemployed. 15% discount for subscribers.

The Main Hall currently has capacity for 1,770 people, spread across the stalls, first and second balconies and choir balcony. Each floor can be accessed by lift or the stairs. Due to the location of pillars, a number of seats have a fully or partially restricted view. These are indicated in the booking system. The hall has six wheelchair places.

A short introduction to the forthcoming performance. The introduction takes place on the staircase towards the left hand stalls. The introduction is held in Swedish and is included in the ticket price.

Konserthuset Stockholm

Contact

Box office

Phone: +46 8 50 66 77 88

Opening hours: Monday–Friday 11–18.Saturday 11–15. On concert days at least two hours before the concert, but no earlier than 11.